An internet celebrity’s video game giveaway turned Manhattan’s Union Square into real-life Super Smash Bros as thousands broke into a riot last Friday, Aug. 4. Kai Cenat—who holds the record for most simultaneous subscriptions on video game streaming platform Twitch—was arrested and charged for first-degree rioting after allegedly organizing the viral event without a permit, said police.
“The park and streets were overrun by people,” said NYPD Chief Jeffrey Maddrey. “It was disrupting both vehicular and pedestrian traffic … tThe crowd was swarmed when the influencer finally arrived [at] the park. Individuals at the park began to commit acts of violence towards the police and public.”
Items from a nearby construction site—like paint cans, rocks and shovels—were introduced into the melee and fireworks were set off during the mayhem. The NYPD says several officers sustained injuries. A cop was injured from construction barrels tossed at him.
The NYPD counts 66 initial arrests, said a department spokesperson. But police continue to seek suspects.
Cenat, a Bronx-born Black New Yorker, announced his giveaway over a Wednesday Twitch stream. He promised PS5 consoles—which roughly retail between $400-450 and were largely sold out for the past three3 years—along with gift cards and other video game devices for those who showed up at Union Square.
Dr. Keith Taylor—a former NYPD officer who now teaches at John Jay College—said pop-up events pose a particular challenge. Usual processes of obtaining permits and insurance allow police to prepare for public safety risks and deploy personnel. He added that the NYPD does monitor social media and believes newer forms of online fame should not be downplayed.
“Today’s world your popularity [and] the money you make is determined through social media … tThis is not someone who is an up-and-coming social media star, Hhe is someone who’s well-known,” said Taylor. “One thing that did go well was that nobody was killed with thousands of adolescent people not always acting in their best interests.”
According to Maddrey, police became aware of the gathering around 1 p.m. on the day of the chaos. Cenat is currently the second-most subscribed streamer on the Amazon subsidiary Twitch, where content creators film themselves playing video games and interacting with viewers. He broke the platform’s all-time subscription record in March and was the first Black streamer to surpass the 200,000 benchmark, but his count cratered by almost 17,000 since Friday’s incident.
Given the overwhelming participation of youngsters at the riot, Mayor Eric Adams blamed parenting during a Saturday press conference.
“When I looked at what happened in Union Square, the first thing I did was text my son and say, ‘Where are you? Are you in Union Square?’” he said. “And I wonder, with the thousands of children who were there hurling dangerous objects at police officers, disrespecting the residents in the area, attacking each other, how many parents text their children? And that old commercial that says ‘It’s 10 p.m., do you know who your children are?’”
Tandy Lau is a Report for America corps member and writes about public safety for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.